Baby sitting?
by tenkage onna
Summary: Work is hard enough for Gai without excess burdens. So when he's forced to babysit a sixteen year old who acts like he's six, is it surprising that he isnt taking it so well? ToA guyluke
1. Chapter 1

aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaand i really shouldnt be writing another book. but whatever. sorta reflects the game a bit, but not really. its AU, as in alternate universe. in which there is no score, van, or asch. its all 100 percent not the game, except some details. or events. this takes the song "hands clean" by alanis something, and warps it. like, alot.

sorta.

anyways, lets get on with it.

warnings- shouta, yaoi, OOCish, lemony content, AU.  
reasons- the song shrieked for me to write XD  
inspiration- "hands clean" by alanis morrisette.  
rating- eeeeeasy M  
pairing- gai/luke  
summary- work is hard enough for gai without excess burdens. So when he's forced to babysit a sixteen year old who acts like he's six, is it surprising that he isnt taking it so well?  
disclaimer- i own nothing at all, so please dont sue.

aaaaaaaand we go on. mind the fact its shouta. dont like the content, you dont hafta read. just sayin so now so you dont scream in agony later on.

Ever since this morning, Gai felt like just going home and falling back to sleep.

He was late for work, and hadn't had breakfast. The entirety of his morning a girl named Natalia spoke to him, not that he minded that really. Its just all she talked about was her boyfriend Asch. And only that. Gai wondered if being 20 was the same as being 16. He certainly didn't remember being so talkative about girls or boys. But then again, most of his life had been spent working and taking care of his sick sister. He hadn't had time for such a thing.

The job that he worked at was one of the more famous electronics companies. One would think the pay was wonderful, but really, Gai only brought home about two hundred a month, not including bonuses. The bills alone consumed a good portion of that pay, the thought of extra stuff wasn't even a fleeting thought.

Mentally cursing, Gai realized he had to pay the bills by next week. His paycheck didn't come until the week after that. Maybe he could beg his neighbor for some money for that. Sighing, Gai didn't cease his job of creating a new program for some weird new computer. For all his work, two hundred didn't seem quite fair. From the opposite cubical he could see Natalia messing up on some aspect of whatever she was supposed to do.

The keys of his keyboard clicked almost quietly, he had done this for so long, that he could almost type up something blindfolded. The sound of footsteps echoed quietly, and Gai saw one of the secretaries glancing around in annoyance. She huffed angrily and walked away, to look somewhere else.

A relieved sigh came from behind Gai's cubical, and the blond turned quickly in surprise. He could have sworn no one used that one. A mop of red hair appeared, dense bangs covering two bright vigilant green eyes. Once the secretary had turned a corner to somewhere else, the person slumped down and then reappeared at the entrance of Gai's cubical, and the blond was sure that this person couldn't be more than fifteen.

The boy glanced down at him and regarded him with slight disdain. "Geez, she's annoying." he muttered, referring to the secretary who had just left.

Glancing around, the strange red headed boy addressed Gai, "Hey, you mind if I hide out here for a bit? Just till she leaves me alone?"

Gai frowned, "Why are you avoiding her?"

"She's trying to make me go back into my dad's stuffy office..."

Gai would have said something, but the boy dived into the cubical and huddled under the space where a paper shredder used to be under Gai's desk. He said not a word. The secretary from before walked around slowly, looking everywhere carefully.

"Has anyone seen a boy with red hair?" she asked loudly.

The blond wasn't sure if he should reply, and didn't in the end. He could almost feel the boy's eyes stabbing him in the side. When no one answered, she sighed and continued to walk away. When she finally left, the boy came out and sighed once more.

"Man, why wont she just go away?! I keep having to hide all the time..."

Gai didn't answer, figuring he didn't need to get any deeper in to trouble than he probably already was. The boy sat on the floor, staring at the wall boredly. Gai felt his stomach grumble and wondered vaguely when he could hurry home and get lunch. He didnt have money to buy any. His fingers stopped on the keys, and he sighed heavily in defeat.

The program wasn't finished, and wouldn't be by the end of the day. That was for sure. He just couldn't force himself to do anything today. The boy on the ground yawned then blinked tiredly. Looking up, he asked in boredom, "What time is it?"

glancing at the clock on the lower right hand side of the computer screen, he replied, "Two fifteen."

"Ah... Thanks, whatever your name is."

"Its Gai."

"Thats nice. I'm Luke. So, Gai, when does the day end anyway?" the boy, Luke, asked.

"For me, it ends at four, since I usually come in at about six." Gai replied, thinking. "Most people leave at three thirty or four."

"No way out?"

Blinking, the blond looked away from the screen and asked, "Huh?"

Luke rolled his eyes and repeated slowly, as if speaking to a small child, "No way out?"

"Out of where?"

"The building, duh."

"... The front doors count?"

Luke scoffed and leaned back under where he had previously hid from the secretary. "Gee, thanks for the info."

"Your welcome." Gai replied, going back to his screen and attempting to work. This was his paycheck here, he needed to work! Nothing happened for a few minutes.

The redhead yawned again and leaned against the wall under the desk, drawing his legs to his chest and leaning sideways against the wall. He looked tired. "Didn't get any sleep last night... Mmso tired!"

Is whining all he could do? Gai thought in annoyance. Several minutes passed by, and in that time, Gai realized that Luke had fallen asleep. How he wished he could do the same! It must be nice to be able to sleep whenever you wanted...

"Whose your friend over there?" Natalia asked, standing next to the entrance to Gai's cubical.

The blond looked up in surprise and replied, "Some weird kid named Luke."

The woman blinked and stared at the sleeping redhead closely. "He looks like Asch."

"Does Asch have a brother or something?" Gai asked, bored, and completely tired of work.

Natalia frowned a little, "He hasn't mentioned one."

"Ah."

So far this conversation was entirely to boring. Luke snored a little, shifting in his sleep to curl up a bit more to his left against the desk wall. He looked peaceful Gai thought. Almost as soon as the thought entered his head, Luke awoke, eyes wide and becoming vigilant. Briefly both employees wondered what was wrong before a secretary from before came down the hall and stopped in front of Gai's cubical. She pointed at the ill-hidden boy, and near shouted.

"FOUND you!"

Luke sat up rigidly and pondered running past her. He shot up and dashed past Gai's chair, and Gai, and then made a dive past the flustered secretary, evading her hands. Just when he thought he was in the clear, a sharp stinging pain went through his scalp, and he stopped, one foot still in the air.

"Itai itai itai itai let go!" he cried, turning his head to glare at the woman who grasped his long red hair tightly in her hand, doubled into a leash of sorts. It was wrapped twice around her hand.

"No way! Come on, your father has been calling you for two hours now." the secretary said, looking at Natalia and Gai and bowing a bit, yanking Luke's hair for him to do the same. "I am terribly sorry for anything he has done."

Then she was off, before either person could say a thing, her high-heels clicking angrily against the tiled floor. Both blonds watched her go, the shouting redhead being yanked behind her. Natalia was the first to speak, breaking the awkward and slightly humorous silence.

"I wonder what has Tear so upset."

dum dum dum!!!!! there shall be more, but for now, this is the first chapter. not a prologue, just a chapter ne.

itai: ow!


	2. Chapter 2

and it returns. i dont know if theres anything to really clarify seeings how the next few chapters will clear it all up.

anyway, onward we go, right?

zomg i got a reviewer! XD yes ne, gai's job does suck. very much so.

disclaimer- i own nothing, so dont sue please.

To say Tear was having a good day would be a complete and utter lie.

Today was as good as a starving rabbit's day. Being a secretary for one of the biggest electronics companies in the country was no easy job, especially with all the employees she and about three other secretaries had to keep informed. She was responsible for buying enough coffee for everyone every day, and right there was about two hundred dollars for all the coffee for over three hundred employees. There was so much she had to do in a day, it was almost unreasonable.

But she did her job, and did it well. She didnt have time for complaints, if she wasted time then some tasks wouldn't get done, and therefore, there goes another day's free hours. The first three months she had learned to either finish up here, or finish up on her day off. Tear chose the first one.

She covered everything from coffee duty to filing. She could type up five reports within about two hours, and she took her job very seriously. Coffee duty in the mornings, then straight off to finish various things. That was her morning schedule. Her entire schedule would leave any other employee dumbstruck. But not Tear. Baby sitting, however, was not on that schedule.

The moment she saw Luke, she knew he was going to pull SOMETHING. Lord only knew what, but Tear could sense the evil in that kid. Her boss was his father, who pretty much dumped him in her lap and told her to make sure he doesn't do anything stupid. According to Luke, he was sixteen, going on seventeen in four months. He acted about the age of a ten year old.

"Luke, dont touch that plant." "That pot is hot, dont touch- siigh..." "Luke, stop messing with that letter opener." "Settle down already." "No, I dont have any food." "For the love of god, SIT. DOWN."

And in about three hours, seven out of thirty five tasks had been finished. Tear now also sported a major headache, and had about ten band-aids left out of a pack of twenty five. Luke sat in the corner on a chair, sucking his still stinging finger and pouting at a wall. He really shouldn't have been playing with that letter opener, he thought bitterly.

Glancing at the clock, his mood sunk even lower when he noted that it was only nine in the morning. He was going to die of boredom. That much was clear. Tear stood up from her desk and glared fiercely at him, her hands flat on the glass surface.

"I'm going to go get some lunch for us. Is there anything you'd like?" she asked, trying to remember that he was a teenager, that he had some sort of amnesia a year or two ago, and that he was the boss's son. The last bit was great motivation.

The redhead thought for a moment then said, "No, anything is good."

Tear nodded, then stood and walked around the glass desk, and to the door only seven feet away from Luke. The moment her hand touched the handle, she turned and glared even darker at the boy, who flinched and tried to slouch back enough to fit between the fibers of the chair.

"I'll be back in twenty minutes. If I come back here and your gone, I'm feeding your food to Anise's pet rabbit. DONT leave this room unless you need to use the bathroom."

Luke nodded quickly, his stomach grinding painfully in the chest and he smiled his best "please-dont-kill-me-ma'am" smile. Satisfied, Tear left the room. The door closed with a solid click, echoing around the room. It wasn't long before Luke saw Tear crossing the street outside of her large glass window. He did some mental math and tried that desicen making method they preached in business class quickly. It took him all of a minute to fully think through the risks, the chances, and all possible outcomes.

He stood up from the comfy chair and creeped slowly and quietly to the door. Tear always knew when he was about to do something, so he wouldn't be surprised if she could hear him from down the street. Slowly, he turned the nob, carefully, and then crept out of the room.

In less than ten minutes he was already downstairs in the lesser offices filled with gray cubicals and the gentle sound of clicking keyboards. Not his idea of a great hide out, but then again, Tear would be back soon. He saw her coming down a hallway and frantically ducked behind a cubical, watching her disappear behind the door he had come through only minutes before.

To say Tear was angry was an understatement. The bag of food she had brought back fell with a plop on the chair where Luke should have been. He hadn't drank or eaten a thing since he got here, so he couldn't be in the bathroom.

Downstairs the sound of glass being scratched with thirty nails echoed loudly in the form of "LUUUUUUUKE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" and a certain redhead flinched.

Tear stormed down the hallways, glaring furiously inside of each cubical, knowing that in twenty minutes, Luke couldn't have gotten far. Anyone who looked at her winced, knowing that something must have seriously pissed her off to make her scream like that. She heard scuttling behind her and whipped around looked to see a tail of something white just disappearing around a corner. Turning quickly she sprinted to the corner and saw nothing.

Marching down the cubical-made hallway, she looked into each cubical, empty or filled. Beneath a empty space, where maybe a printer or garbage can could be placed, Luke hid, making sure not a thing showed. He had a lord of the rings experience, the part where the hobbits were hiding behind a root when that scary looking thing (he never did like the movie, so he didnt bother with specifics) was looking just over them, but didnt see them.

Once Tear was halfway across the hallway, he stood up and peeked over the cubical's edge, watching her leave. Once she turned the corner he let out a sigh of relief. Free at last.

An hour later he sat in front of his father's desk, resisting the urge to wince as he was chewed out. He hated being yelled at, though when not in his mother's presence his brother and father seemed rather fond of verbally bitch slapping him. Tear was standing in a corner, waiting to be excused, though it didnt seem that it was likely. His father still hadn't let up, and he just KNEW Tear was enjoying this. Not that he entirely blamed her.

Sighing, his father ceased his scolding. He looked tired, thought the sixteen year old. "Never mind... Tear, who was he hiding out with?"

The girl stood almost at attention. "Gai Cecil sir."

The man seemed to be thinking. for a moment Luke worried something might happen to his temporary savior. "Whats gonna happen to him sir...?" he asked hesitantly.

"Tear, send him in the moment he checks into work tomorrow."

"Yes sir."

"Dad...?"

The man stood up and sighed, wondering why he had brought Luke to work today again. Oh. Right. He knew why.

The next day Gai came in more or less feeling like shit. No sleep what so ever, and again, no food. He had woken up late, again, and only had time for a shower and to get dressed. Natalia was at her cubical, yawning and just getting her computer booted up. Sitting down in his hard (why was it hard if it had padding...?) swivel chair, Gai had just enough time to yawn before a familiar female appeared near his cubical. He smiled the best he could (morning breath from no time to brush his teethe was making him feel ill. Soda and chocolate did not go well.), still trying to keep down what was left of dinner.

Tear smiled a little and cut to the chase. "Mr. Fabre has called for you in his office."

Oh god. He was dead. This had to be about yesterday he thought in horror. Suddenly he felt more ill than before. Nodding, he stood up and followed the brunette, every step bringing up the brownies from last night a little more. He'd never forgive his stomach if he heaved in front of his boss.

The office was clean, typical for a CEO really. A potted plant sat in a corner, alone and utterly pathetic against the creamish colored walls. A plaque sat on the clean neo Gothic desk, shiny silver that proudly sat on the spotless desk. It read in black chizzled letters Fabre. Behind that sat his boss, the CEO of this entire company, and the man who controlled his budget so he had better-suck-up-and-not-heave-up-those-damned-brownies, none other than Fabre. Mr. Fabre. No one knew his first name. It was rumored that he didnt have one.

Mr. Fabre (he swore the man needed a first name) gestured him with a grand gesture to sit down in the chair in front of the desk. The chair was comfier than his damned bed, with double the fluff and cradling wonderfulness. Briefly, he wondered if he could go to sleep. Mr. Fabre started right at the point. Gai had never seen or met the man, but he always thought that his supreme boss was a serious to the point sorta person.

"Hello, Mr. ... ?"

"Cecil. Gai Cecil sir." he nearly stuttered out. Normally Gai was fine around people, but this man had some strange super power.

"Well, Mr. Cecil, I hear when my son ran off he was found hiding out in your cubical. Is that true?"

It wasn't a question, it wasn't a demand. It was just to see how he would react. Never the less, all that went through Gai's mind was "Oh shit, I knew I shouldn't have-" he cut off his thoughts quickly and nodded. "Y-Yes sir."

The man he almost feared leaned back in his swivel chair (Gai looked at it with hidden envy. He need one of those.) and put on a thoughtful mask. He glanced over at a corner and waved a hand at someone to come over, and Luke hesitantly walked forward, up to the desk and glanced at the blond who was having a mental spaz attack. He sorta felt sorry for the man. Gai stopped his attack for a moment. He hadn't seen him before now.

"Luke, what was this man like yesterday?"

The redhead blinked and frowned, "He was nice enough. He didnt tell on me when Tear was looking for me." he couldn't say much, they hadn't talked hardly at all.

His father leaned forward (was he trying to make Gai uncomfortable?) and looked at Gai for a long moment before "hmm"ing. Something was up. He just KNEW it.

"Mr. Cecil, I have thought this over for a long while, and I've come to a conclusion. How would you like to watch my son for me?"

Gai blinked. Not a blank blink, a "WTF" sort of blink, the one you give your parents when they suggest watching little five year olds for a summer job. The kind you give the insane bums in Central Park who like to sit and talk to themselves.

"What...?" he asked slowly.

"Would you watch my son for me, for the rest of the summer?"

Luke looked at his father like he wanted to scream at him. One look silenced him though. "Of course you would be paid, and wouldn't have to come in on days you watch him."

Gai frowned and worried at his lower lip for a moment. The man behind the plain desk added, thoughtfully, "And your pay would be three fifty."

Tempting he thought, very tempting. Why shouldn't he? Right off the back of his head, he could name several reasons, and the list was over ten. There were many reasons why he couldn't. For one, he was terrible with kids. He couldn't take puppy eyes for more than a minute, he caved in when they whined, and keeping track of them was utterly impossible. He also wouldn't know what to do with a teenager, who was well over ten. What did teens do nowadays? It was a long shot of a guess, but he was sure he couldn't just take Luke to the park and let him loose.

Did he ever mention the fact that he didnt like children...?

"Er, sir I'd love to but... You see-"

"This isn't a question. Its either take the job or your fired." Mr. Fabre said, glowering over his now crossed hands. He meant business, and no wasn't an option.

Gai weighed the choices and outcomes, the reasons he shouldn't take the job and why he should. Needless to say, in the end he was smiling weakly and asking, "W-When do I start sir?"

i torture gai in everything i write XDDD but its sorta fun ne. aside from various little skits i've made up, this is by far my favorite skit XD right after the "creepy guy" one, inspired by whasshisname... dane cook, that guy ne! yeah. in one of the dark corners of my mind, past the rabbid mongooses and insane penguins, there lies a room, locked up. thats where all my tales of the abyss ideas are, and over sixty percent are stupid ideas and skits that make fun of gai. cause its fun.

anyhow. lessee... um, review if you have time or energy. flames would actually be welcomed. only ever got one before XD lookin forward to my next.


	3. Chapter 3

and i return! yes, last chapter was iffy. sorry bout that (grins nervously). it gets funny, and theres a tinsy bit of angst in a bit to. no more cubical, but now... baby sitting! a sixteen year old. for three hundred and fifty dolars. huh... suddenly i'm just a tiny bit jealous of my own plot XD ah well.

inspiration: walking on the sun by smashmouth. smashmouth music in general.

disclaimer: i own not a damn thing!!!

and read on if you get the urge.

The building's main glass door closed with a gentle click, echoing in the inside of Gai's head. Luke stood next to him, arms crossed behind his head and watching the door in utter boredom. Glancing at the door, then at Gai, the redhead turned down the sidewalk and began his trek home.

The blond was still in utter shock. He was supposed to baby sit some teenager. And if he didnt, he was fired. Somewhere in the back of his head he remembered that episode of the Rugrats where they were adults. He liked to think of himself as Tommy, but at the moment he was feeling distinctly Chuckyish.

Sighing, he turned around, back to the door, and looked at where Luke should be. Only to find that he wasn't there. His stomach dropped and Gai looked around frantically for the errant redhead, spotting him just about thirty feet from him, walking leisurely and slowly. Gai hurried after him, falling into step with the boy quickly.

Luke glanced at him, but said nothing. He didnt need a baby sitter, he needed to go home and do something fun. Lord only knew what Gai had planned. Probably nothing. After a few minutes of relative quiet, he broke the silence.

"So, what're you planning on doing?" he asked.

Gai blinked and frowned, "I have no idea."

"Me neither."

So far it was a splendidly boring conversation. And it was seven. What the hell was he supposed to do with this kid?! Sighing, he glanced around. He hadn't eaten this morning, and if Luke hadn't either, there was their morning plan.

"Did you eat this morning?" Gai asked, trying not to be rude.

The redhead glanced at him and shrugged. Gai felt a vein begin to pulse in his head. "Not really."

Success! "Any place in particular you'd like to eat?" please say something within my budget he pleaded.

Luke let his hands drop from behind his head and thought for a moment. Then he frowned, "How much do you have to spend?"

"... Twenty dollars?"

The disdain that fogged over the redhead's bright green eyes was enough to make Gai want to either go hide under a rock in shame, or strangle him. The kid was rich, he reminded himself, he probably got fifties for milk money. Luke sighed and muttered something.

"What?" Gai asked.

Luke glowered at him and repeated, "I said, anythings fine."

Well excuse me! "Okay... How about Mc Donalds then?"

The redhead looked off to his left at the marble fence. "Sure."

Finding one of the blasted restaurants was easy, the arch standing out so vividly against the rest of the city and sky. Ordering and eating was another story.

"Welcome to Mc Donalds, how may I help you?"

Gai looked over at Luke, who glanced at the menu and shrugged. He looked back at the cashier and said, "Two fives please."

"Soda with that?"

Gai looked back over at Luke who shrugged. He was going to kill that damned kid. "S-Sure."

Sitting down now, the blond watched Luke peal onions and pickles and lettuce and lord knows what else off of his food. An onion hit Gai in the face, but being the polite and I-dont-want-to-get-fired person Gai was, he wiped it off with a finger. Onion after onion after diced freaking onion hit him every so often, and Gai just knew Luke was doing this on purpose. After a small chunk of onions hit him for about the fifth time, he glowered at the boy, who had put the bun back on his sandwich and quickly took a bite from it.

A look of innocence was put into place, and Luke asked around a mouthful of food, "What...?"

He was going to kill that kid. Maybe buy a car, run him over, then say "Oh my god I didnt see him!". The thought placated him enough to finish his food.

Three hours later saw them walking at random to Gai's apartment, on Luke's request to see it. Luke himself wasn't allowed within two hundred feet of his own house. Gai had at first protested, remembering that he needed to clean up. But after the puppy eyes (as much as he hated Luke, he was very good at puppy eyes) Gai relented and lead the way.

His apartment wasn't the greatest, but if cleaned up it would be rather nice. At the entrance to your immediate left was a long curved counter wall, a bar almost. Behind that was a kitchen, a white fridge, three counters a sink and a stove with cabinets. A long table that could've been Able Linkin's sat just outside of the kitchen, a few chairs lining it. Next to that was a living room with a couch and a tv, and a hallway by the dining room lead to three rooms: two bedrooms and a bathroom.

If it was clean, Gai would be proud to show it off. But...

"Woah..." was Luke's first statement.

Gai ducked his head in shame and went about picking up random articles of clothing, depositing them in a basket by the hallway. "Didn't have much time to clean last night." He replied.

Luke nodded slowly. While it wasn't his idea of a grand home, it wasn't to... bad. Glancing over the bar counter, he thought he saw something coming to life in the pot crowded sink. Shuddering he looked away, and took a few steps from the tiled entrance onto the carpeted floor. He didnt want to take off his shoes, but his mother always scolded him for not doing so. Off his shoes went. He was glad he still wore his socks, running a foot over the carpet and finding it shockingly soft.

"Sorry its so messy... Like I said, I haven't had much time to clean." Gai's voice called from maybe the bedroom.

"Its... fine." Luke called back, walking over to a large window and peering out.

Gai came back out in more casual clothes, his suit waiting in the laundry to be washed. The redhead seemed to have quit his hissy fit from before and now sat on the couch, all the clothing and junk moved to one side. Luke had made himself comfy on the couch, and his eyes were closed. He looked tired.

Smiling a tiny bit, Gai left the boy to sleep. besides he needed a shower and maybe to clean up more. Briefly he wondered why the kid who was sleeping on his couch, looking innocent and peaceful, was such an evil little bastard. Then again, he wouldn't want a baby sitter if he was sixteen.

Once he came back into the living room, Luke was no where to be seen. Now Gai would have panicked if he hadn't felt the cool wind from outside blow through his home. Looking around his couch, his suspicions were confirmed when he saw the patio door open. Walking out, he saw the redhead leaning against the railing, looking down at the children who played happily in the mini field outside of his apartment. The wind blew his hair just a bit, and he sighed.

"Oh, there you are..."

The redhead looked up quickly and stared blankly at Gai. "Sorry, saw the door, and figured as long as I didnt jump off you wouldn't mind if I came out here."

Gai shrugged, "Its fine. Thought you were asleep."

"I was. Just woke up a few minutes ago."

"Ah."

They were quiet for a while, the sound of children playing outside and the soft creak of the wood beneath their feet sway calming them slightly. Luke wasn't so calm once he heard the floor creak. Gai could tell the boy wanted to bolt.

"Wanna go inside?"

"S-Sure..."

the apartment is pretty much my old one ne. back in brighton colorado (i live in littleton now), theres an apartment complex called "river ridge" i think... nice apartment. the version in this is messy. when your busy with two jobs at a time, i imagine cleaning isnt so easy.

um... sorry if it sucked. most of the real plot comes in after luke quits being a bitch. maybe two chapters... dunno. enjoy for now. next chapter may come soon. MAY being the key word.


	4. Chapter 4

And it returns!!!...(crickets chirp)...er, moving along!!

_**XichigoMewAngelX- **_i'm glad you liked it X3 sa, Luke's immaturity is quite annoying, ne? I liked the onions part to ne XDD

_**bluedranzer77- **_party?! Wheres!! i must attend D8

_**Acid Fire-**_ thanks ne

_**kagome002**_**-** eheh, sorry about the wait ne...(sweatdrops) i'm never good with actually updating. But alas, it has updated!!

_**Yaoi-Rules- **_sa?? i'm glad thank you. Aaaand, your right, yaoi DOES rule (nods)

_**Ryna-chan-**_ thanks ne (scratches head) i'm glad its coming along nicely! Hopefully it'll keep going nicely. And sa, it was for later chapters. Your idea makes more sense, i just never remember to fix the rating when it actually comes to the point where i should (sweatdrop)

_**Kei White-**_ thanks ne, and i'm glad you liked it!

Thank you all for the wonderful reviews ne (smiles smiles) sorry i'm so lousy with updating, i'll try to get that ne. aaaaand read on if you'd like!!

lllllllllllllllllllllll

From there things seemed to lighten up a bit, but not by much. Luke still persisted with his bitching, and Gai was still stuck with dealing with it. Sometimes, he didnt know why he dealt with it. Other times, the knowledge that Luke was his boss's son seemed to slap him in the face.

At a time like this however, being fired didnt seem all that bad. Gai watched Luke's expressions as he tried to make a lunch that the rich boy felt was worthy for him to eat. He pulled box after box, but it didnt seem like lunch was going to ever get done.

After the box of fried rice, that was the last straw.

"What DO you like then?" he asked, trying not to be rude.

The redhead frowned at the annoyed undertone and crossed his arms. "Nothing so far. Do you have anything that isnt instant?"

"Not really..."

Luke huffed and scowled, "Well, why not?"

Gai held back his temper a bit. "Because, I cant afford anything." he replied.

There was a look of disdain in Luke's eyes, but it faded a bit at that. He couldnt quite argue with that. "Oh... well then, lets go shopping!" he exclaimed, grinning.

A puzzled look covered Gai's face, and he raised an eyebrow. "Huh?"

The redhead nodded, "You heard me, we're going shopping. I have plenty of money with me, we can use that and get some food in here."

He wasnt so sure he was comfortable with taking Luke's money. After all, that wasnt something a baby sitter should do, right? "I dont know..."

"Oh come on, no worries! When you get paid in two weeks by dad, you can pay back then."

"If you insist..."

With that they were off to go shopping. Gai's apartment was almost right in the middle of the city, with stores all over, everywhere. The one he often went to was just down the road, a block or so away, and they could easily walk there. Luke was busy looking around as they walked, and it was obvious he'd never been out of the rich comunities Gai had spent his childhood in. Sighing, he wondered how he went from rich heir to a company to a poor citizen of this crummy earth.

After the thought, Luke pulled his sleeve and pointed to a building asking what it was. He replied with a somewhat kind tone, smiling slightly. Oh yeah. He knew why. The reason was this brat's father, who was sitting in his office, comfy cozy as his future evaporated. It had gone down hill once Mary had died, his sister and caretaker for so long after his parents became deep in debts and eventually abandoned them.

This brat was living how he used to, rich and happy, warm and uncaring of anything around him. He probably didnt know about all the lives his father ruined. Gai felt his hate grow, but stomped it back down. It was all fair game. It was business, he told himself. And once he got the chance, he'd get a revenge on the Fabre's. He would he told himself. And this bratty redhead may be the key to that revenge.

The shopping center was before them in no time, and Luke looked around in wonder. This was his first time he'd ever been in a grocery store, or seen a shopping outlet.

"Wow, so this is where the maids buy food...?" he asked, eyes wide with awe.

Gai nodded, "Maybe not this one exactly, but yeah."

By the time Gai finished saying that, Luke was already gone from his side. Blinking, he slapped himself lightly on the forehead, feeling a headache coming. The kid was missing. Wonderfull. Meanwhile, Luke was four or five ailse down, looking at candy with wide eyes. He rarely saw candy. Picking up a lolipop he held it up and grinned happily. Meanwhile, Gai was wandering around, looking in ailses helplessly. He looked up and sighed before noticing something.

The the board that said the contents of each ailse hung, and the white bold lettering smacked him in the face. Candy. Of course, how could he be so stupid! He almost ran to the ailse, stopping with a skid and looking inside to see Luke frowning at the bags of sugary goodness, innocently mentally deciding which to buy.

"Luke, there you are!" Gai said in relief, walking up to the redhead, who now heald up a bag of M&M's, next to a bag of Snickers bars.

"Hey Gai, which should I get...? I like chocolate, but I dont know what these are like..." he murmured, pouting.

The blond took a moment to look at the boy. He was telling the truth... Sighing, he replied, "Get both."

"Do you think we can still afford lunch if I do...?"

"How much do you have?"

Luke handed the bags to Gai and reached into his pocket and pulled forth a thick wad of money. He counted the stacks, saying each's worth aloud. "Five hundred, one thousand, one thousand five hundred..." he continued, and Gai wondered why he was carrying all that around.

"Two thousand dollars." he announced.

"Yeah... I think we can afford lunch Luke." he muttered, feeling poorer than dirt.

A bit later, after the shopping itself was done, the two waited on line to pay. Gai had a hard time keeping Luke from grabbing most of the candy rack. He was like a kid Gai thought, if not a rather big kid. By the time they had left, Luke was already eating the candy he had gotten, digging into the M&M's and beaming like a little kid. If Gai didnt hate Luke, he'd have thought it cute.

When they got back to Gai's apartment, Luke plopped down on the couch and continued eating. From there, things played out as planned. Lunch, then sitting around and thinking of what to do. To be honest, Gai didnt know what TO do. The redhead next to him was almost finished with his M&M's when he spoke up.

"Hey Gai,"

"Yeah?"

"Do you want some? I got em, but i never thoughta giving you any." Luke said, gesturing to the candy.

Gai smiled lightly and shook his head. "Nah, you keep em. Thanks though."

"...if your sure."

Glancing at the clock, Gai asked, "When do you go home?"

"Seven."

"Oh."

"Sick of me already?" Luke asked, a humorless grin on his face.

The blond frowned, "No." he lied.

Leaning into the cushions of the couch, Luke said, "Yes you are."

"Do you enjoy being annoying?" Gai snapped, then mentally slapped himself. Damn his mouth! And normally he was so good at holding his toungue.

The redhead paused as he was about to grab an M&M and shrugged. After a moment, he looked up at Gai with a blank look on his face. "I'm not telling dad. Say what you want."

"What makes you think I have anything to say to you?" Gai muttered bitterly.

"Your tone." Luke said, eating his candy again. "Whenever you say anything to me, you sound like you wanna stab me or something."

Did he really sound like that? He wondered before staring at the wall blankly, not replying. "But then again, I guess I'm not exactly being easy am I. I shouldnt expect the lower class to have as much as I do, right?" he asked, and somehow Gai figured Luke was saying sorry. The words were offensive to him, the tone was tinged with disdain, but Luke sounded like he was apologizing. Perhaps he was.

"I guess."

With that, they were quiet once more. Luke looked bored out of his mind sitting there, Gai thought. Normally Gai wasnt home alot, so he didnt have much to do. By the time seven rolled by, Gai heard a knock at his door, and went to open it. Luke watched with half mast eyes, bored but curious. When Gai pulled back the door, he saw Tear, serious as always. Luke shrank back a little into the couch at the sight of the woman.

"Hello, I'm here to pick up Luke." she said.

Glancing back, Gai watched as Luke blanched and attempted to sink into the cushions. "Would you like to come in?"

The brunette shook her head and smiled a little. "No, I only came for Luke."

Briefly, the redhead wondered if Gai and Tear had something planned for tonight. After a brief battle, in which Gai almost had to pick Luke up and THROW him out the door, the sulking boy trailed after Tear. Sighing, Gai rolled his eyes and went back inside, plopping down onto the couch. Man he needed to sleep. Glancing around his apartment, he sighed once more and began to clean more.Hhe didnt need Luke telling his family about how messy his babysitter's apartment was.

It was early, maybe eight in the morning when Gai woke up to the sound of a quiet vaccum going somewhere in his apartment. Blinking the sleep from his eyes, he sat up and stretched, hearing his back crack a little from sleeping on the couch. Glancing around, he noted a few girls in maid dresses milling about his apartment, and blinked.

"Wha...?" he said, unable to fully say his thoughts.

"Surprise!" a familiar voice cheered from next to him.

Looking over, Gai was shocked to see a beaming and wide awake Luke eating what looked like cereal at the coffee table right infront of the couch. Gai decided that he must be dreaming. A very weird dream, he added as an after thought.

"Luke...? Whats going on?"

The redhead set the silver spoon against the slightly offwhite bowl (gracefully and quiet, who'da thought?) and grinned widely. "Well, we kinda got off on the wrong foot yesterday I guess, and I thought I should make it up to you."

This was very uncharacteristic of Luke. Something was up. Those were the first thoughts that entered the half awake blonde's head. Granted he hadnt known Luke long, he knew him long enough to know that he wasnt a nice kid who helped those in need. He stared at the boy blankly, not buying it.

Sighing, Luke let his grin slip a bit. "Plus the place was messy, right? I dunno about you, but it was making me a bit sick."

Ah yes, an insult to Gai's pride. there it was. That couldnt be all, he thought bitterly, gathering up his fallen pride (of what, he wasnt sure. Luke was right, but still!) and duct taping it together again before scratching his messy hair.

"What is it you want from me?" he asked after a moment.

Luke smiled innocently, "Whatever do you mean?"

Proof! his head shouted. Luke didnt talk that sweetly! "Theres got to be something else your after. What is it?"

"Geez, spoil sport much... You COULD be thankfull to my maids for coming here y'know." Luke said, pouting and lifting his spoon back up and shoveling some cereal into his mouth.

"I am thankful... but lets face it, how often do you do things from good of your heart?"

"Touche" Luke mumbled, scowling a little before lifting his bowl and drinking the remaining milk from it. "How'd ya know? Was it my acting?"

"No, it was the fact you did something, for someone else."

"You make me sound like a cold hearted asshole." Luke snapped, leaning back on his arms.

Gai shrugged and didnt respond. Afterall, wasnt Luke just that? The redhead didnt take the silent insult well, but sighed in irritation before saying, "Fine! Maybe I AM a bit selfish..."

"So what is it you want?"

"To go out and eat. And buy a video game console for here."

"Thats all?" Gai asked sarcastically.

"Shuddup! I'm payin since its my idea and you dont have any money yet." Luke hissed, crossing his arms moodily.

Sighing, Gai noted that most of the maids had finished already. Briefly, he wondered when Luke had forced the poor girls into his apartment. "Fine fine, let me get ready and then we'll go."

"Okay!" Luke replied, seemingly losing his bitter and bratty mood before standing and stretching a bit. "You girls can go when your done." he said, and the maids sighed in relief and left.

Gai shook his head and left to go find clothes. Only him, he thought sadly.

llllllllllllllll

at last! it is finished!!!!!!


	5. Chapter 5

yes, it retuuurns!! shocking? yes. ah, again soooo sorry i never update, i procrastinated so bad!! mostly cause this is semi-filler, so its a bit boring to write...no excuse, i know, but sa. now that a bit more of the plot is showing up, hooopefully i'll get the lead from my fingers and write.

_**Isler:**_ sorry i took so loooong! thatnsk btw.

_**Ryna-chan: **_;; yeeeaaah, half of what i write doesnt make sense. but i'm glad you like it!!! (stares) and leave teh tree be! XD

_**Promimo:**_ thanks, and yeah. teh weirdness.

_**13thhourbells:**_ update i have! and yeah...luke kinda annoys me juuust an itty bit.

_**bluedranzer77: **_and gushy he shall be! ...within like, five chapters, cause if he just gushed, it'd be strange.

_**XIchigoMewAngelX: **_XDD well, it'll get more stressfull from now on, but shittier i dunno. i love abusing characters i like, so maaaybe it will. if it goes as planned, it'll stay nice and cheery till the drama of gay romance actually sets in. till then, just cheery fluffernutter. and drama. but not heaps. yeah.

_**kagome002: **_yay!! tanks!

_**JustAnAmateur: **_thanks much ne (smile smile) that meant a bunch.

aaaand it lives!!...ish!

Gai sat down with a huff, relieving his arms of the many bags he was carrying. Luke grinned at the many bags, and sat down on the couch, eyeing the two biggest bags in excitement. The blond had finally gotten the blood back into his arms before sighing tiredly. He was ready to go to sleep now.

"Okay, which shall I open first. The Playstation or the Xbox?" he asked, mainly himself, as if he couldn't decide on his own.

Gai mumbled and the redhead took that as an answer, nodding with a satisfied grin. "Yeah Xbox it is!"

Gai watched tiredly as Luke tore open the box, hoping he wasn't going to be forced to play a video game. He loathed video games, simply because he sucked at them. From half the games Luke had bought, he was sure he'd end up playing them, losing pitifully.

And he did just that.

Luke shouted in joy as he once again shot down Gai into oblivion in Halo 2. "Yes!!"

Gai let his head slump a bit, glowering at his screen and wondering why the controls had to be so damn complicated. It was a child's play thing, right? What kid could master all this and manage to kill the other player! He certainly couldn't. Between the view and walking, he had the maneuverability of a new born chick. Setting down his controller, Gai stretched and felt his stomach growl in hunger. He hadn't even eaten breakfast yet...

The moment Luke had him out of the apartment, he had dragged him off to a video game store, and proceeded to buy more than Gai could carry. However, they hadn't eaten anything. Well, Gai hadn't. Luke had stuffed his face before Gai had woken up, but he himself hadn't eaten at all. Luke glanced at the stretched out and hungry man, and frowned.

"Hungry??" he asked.

"Yeah."

"Lets have lunch!" he cheered, setting down his controller.

And so they did. Over the next few days, Luke had begun to make Gai's living room like his own bedroom. Gai found that his home was gradually turning into a game shop. He didn't mind, it gave him something to do when Luke left for the day. However, now, his apartment felt rather empty without the obnoxious teen. It was a week after taking the job of being Luke's baby sitter, and it was barely past twelve when a knock awoke Gai. Well, a few, loud knocks and a few doorbells, but after the first ten knocks, he was up.

Stumbling out of bed and to the door, the blond tiredly answered the door. There stood Luke, who looked like he had run all the way here. Blinking slowly, Gai frowned.

"Luke...? What-"

Lemme stay here please." he cut him off, serious and tired looking.

Nodding slowly, Gai moved away, and let Luke inside. The apartment was dark, but Luke didn't quite mind it. Clutched in his arms was a pillow, and a blanket wrapped around that. Luke was in pajama's and sneakers, with messy hair pulled back in a knotted pony tail. Taking in the details slowly, he closed the door and locked it again, watching the boy tiredly sit down on the couch. The boy looked around the dark apartment with ill hidden unease.

"So, why're you here...?" Gai asked, scratching his messy head.

The redhead didn't look up at him right then, but when he did, Gai could tell he had been crying. "Can I sleep over? Please?"

Whatever was wrong, it must be bad for Luke to say please. When he nodded, Luke smiled weakly and arranged himself on the couch, not honestly expecting the bed. Gai was surprised. Not a peep more from him, just a gentle hum of his breathing, and the slight glow of his barely open green eyes in the faint light from the hall. After watching for a moment, Gai yawned and walked back to his own bed, remembering his own exhaustion. He settled in his cooling spot in bed, and fell asleep quickly.

Something was warm and solid. Whatever it was, it wasn't something that Gai normally felt in bed. Cracking open his eyes tiredly, he blinked and was aware of a bush of red. Since when had someone been killed on his bed? After a moment, he remembered blood wasn't fluffy and silky, and was more than a little shocked to note that a boy was sleeping next to him. Why was Luke in bed with him? He didn't know, and he didn't quite want to. He just knew that it irked him. He nudged him, getting no results. When he finally awoke after three more nudges, tired and big green eyes looked up at him.

"Mm, lemme sleep..." Luke groaned, cuddling closer, and Gai pushed him back a little.

"What're you doing in my bed...?"

"It got lonely without Niisama...and your couch is uncomfy." Luke said simply, yawning and closing his eyes.

"Niisama?"

"My brother...I share a room with him. Cause I'm afra-" he stopped there, awake enough to realize what he almost said aloud.

Gai blinked. "What now?"

Luke mumbled something, and Gai felt his lips tug into a smirk. "Repeat that please?"

Luke looked up irritably, a mortified blush covering his pale cheeks. "I'm afraid of the dark."

It took a moment for it to sink in. When it did, Gai had a hard time not laughing. Luke buried his face in a pillow and muttered what sounded like "Shut up...", but Gai wasn't listening. Well, it made sense. He roughly ruffled Luke's already messy hair.

"Its fine." he said with a grin. Oh did he enjoy this. Finally the smug little brat was embarrassed.

A few days later found the two lazing about, watching T.V. Being it out of bordem or because he hadnt a choice, Luke had become slightly less bratty. Not that Gai was mad, he didn't find this new Luke to to awful. If anything, he was glad that the boy had stopped being snippy. Though, there were still moments when Luke was...a little less than agreeable.

"Isn't there ANYTHING to do? What is it you commoners do for fun anyway?" he grumbled, slouching more.

By now, the names weren't so annoying. "Theres plenty to do. Clean, clean, do work, maybe go out side-"

"Outside it is then!" Luke cheered, standing up and stretching. He hated work with a passion.

Rolling his eyes at this, Gai stood as well. It was as if the night a few days back hadn't ever happened. Not that he really cared, but it struck him as odd. He wondered what could have happened. Shrugging the thought off, he grabbed his wallet and lead the way out of the apartment. It wasn't his business, and if life as a commoner (as Luke called it) had taught him one thing, it was that what didn't concern you best be forgotten. It was another bright and sunny day, and people walked down the streets, traffic and loud chatter filling the air. Luke twitched, ignoring the fumes and chatter the best he could.

"So, what do you wanna do?"

"Dunno..."

"Why must you be difficult?"

"Because I can." Luke replied, sticking his nose in the air, crossing his arms behind his head.

They kept walking, Gai ignoring Luke's grumbling as he trailed behind him. What could they do for fun...? Gai didn't really run around town much, but he knew alot of the places here were mainly for adults. It was, after all, the city. But there had to be SOMETHING fun to do. Glancing around, he stopped short, causing the redhead behind him to walk into him.

"Ow! What gives?" Luke demanded, rubbing his nose.

smiling a little, Gai turned around and asked, "Wanna see a movie??"

Raising an eyebrow, Luke replied, "A movie?"

"Yeah. Theres a theater right there," Gai pointed to the huge building. "And it should be entertaining enough."

Looking to where the blond pointed, Luke blinked. So this was a movie theater... he knew of them, but he had never been to one before. His brother was always being dragged to them by his girl friend, but he never seemed thrilled about them, so Luke wasn't to sure he himself would be either. But then, what else was there to do?? Frowning, he replied, "Fine. I do hope it wont be to boring."

Gai rolled his eyes, noting that Luke was rarely ever easy to appease. The boy wouldn't be happy even with the world, but then, he was spoiled. At least he wasn't putting up a fuss, the blond noted happily. They walked towards the huge building, and the younger male looked around with ill hidden awe. For as filthy (in his standards) as the place was, it was quite amazing. A huge curved ceiling that let in the bright sunlight through a glass roof, shiny tiled floors... but what made Luke the most amazed, was the huge card board cut outs. Zipping over he gawked at one, noting the details and how big it was.

"Wow!! Its huge!" he murmured, eyes bubbly and large and he embraced the cut out of an elf.

"Whats that boy doing??" a small and high pitched voice came.

"Honey, don't be rude."

Luke looked over to see a child with foresty green hair and frowned. "Eh? Whats your problem?" he demanded, scowling a little.

The boy smiled politely and stepped closer, ignoring his mother's protests. He stopped just in front of Luke, and the redhead found it unnerving that he seemed so at ease and calm, when Luke had just been so rude. The boy inspected the cut out, smiley cheerfully and pointing to it. "Oh, that movie is good! Have you seen it yet??"

Taken aback by this, Luke felt a bit stupid. "N-No. but I will." he added quickly.

Smiling, the boy closed his minty green eyes and held out a hand. "Its nice to meet you, what would be your name??"

Eyeing the hand warily, Luke took it after a moment. He didn't like this commoner, he was too friendly. "Luke...Luke Fon Fabre."

Blinking at the name, the green haired boy smiled. "Ah, I know you! I was wondering when we'd meet!"

Blinking, Luke stared at the boy as if he had five heads. "Eh?"

"My name is Ion. Our parents do a lot of business together." Ion explained, smiling.

Luke frowned, then he remembered who this boy was. With the knowledge of being around someone of high status, he became more relaxed. It was just more normal for him to be around the rich and not the poor. "Its nice to meet you." he replied, not sure if he should be more formal.

"So are you here with a friend Luke?" Ion asked, glancing around.

"Uh, yeah, sorta..." he replied, not wanting to tell such a person what Gai was exactly.

"Luke, I've got the tickets." came the voice of Gai, who stepped away from the crowded counter. Noticing the boy, the blond smiled a little. "This a friend of yours Luke?"

Ion turned to Gai and smiled, "Yes. And you as well??"

"No, I'm-"

"He's nothing!!! Nothing!" Luke interrupted, waving his arms frantically.

It seemed everyone in the building was staring at the spastic redhead, and he tried his best to ignore this. Raising an eyebrow, Ion tilted his head a little. "Are you lovers?"

Both males stared at him blankly before varying degrees of disgust appeared on their faces. Luke cried, "Why would you even THINK that!!"

Wincing a little, the green haired boy said, "Well, it was the way you denied it so fervently."

Gai twitched, coughed into hid hand then felt a slight blush crawl over his face. "No, we aren't. I'm his baby sitter. Nothing more."

Luke twitched and fought the urge to look at the floor in shame. How mortifying... The green haired boy blinked and looked to the redhead. "Aren't you a bit too old for a babysitter?"

"Dad made him do it..." Luke grumbled.

Blinking, Ion suddenly seemed to remember something. "Oh! Is it because of that-" a hand was placed over Ion's mouth, and the boy blinked.

"Don't talk about that so openly!" the redhead said in annoyance. Gai watched them, raising an eyebrow. Whatever Ion was about to say, he figured it probably wasn't his business. He hadn't read anything but praise for Luke's family in the papers though, so he was curious. Noting Gai was watching them still, Luke looked away from him and muttered, "Don't worry about it. Its nothing important."

Gai had a feeling that it WAS something important, however, he let it be. Shrugging, the blond gestured to the snack bar, "Wanna go get something to eat?"

Luke nodded quickly, releasing Ion's mouth and zipping away for the snack bar. The green haired boy blinked and frowned. He should have remembered not to bring that subject up, but it just...slipped. Smiling broadly at Gai, he waved and rejoined his mother in the ticket line. Gai frowned and followed after Luke, feeling as if something was wrong now. Luke was standing a few feet from the bar, not quite knowing what to do. When Gai had made it to him, the redhead's frown lessened some.

"Gaaaii, get me food..." he whined, shifting from foot to foot.

"Fine, come on then."

Once they had gotten their snacks (with much fuss on Luke's part) the two headed for their seats, to watch...well, Luke hadn't payed any attention when Gai was buying the tickets, but he hoped it'd be good.

aaaaaaaand at laaast the drama starts a little. yeah, ion was random, but he'll appear in a few chapters. it'd be boring if it was mostly just gai and luke. sorry it took so long, aaand i hope its goodish. sorry about the OOCness...and the weirdness and the rushedness.

niisama means brother (older), but its a very respectful way of saying it. you'd use it like for the head son of a king or a family. (sucks at explanations)


	6. Chapter 6

OMFG I am SO sorry for taking so long!! (flails) I fail so bad for letting it go so long Dx sorry. Thankfully, the plot is gonna start soon, so no worries.

_**JustAnAmateur- I'm glad the japanese flowed well X3 and thank you very much for the coment, I appreciate it.**_

_**StoryTagger- eh, I havent really thought much on the amnesia thing yet XD; but since I prolly wont put it in, i'll tell ya now. Pretty much, he was running around the house and he slipped and fell down the stairs and nocked his head. So undramatic, but thats pretty much what happened. But thanks XD**_

_**Li'en The Forgotten- or does it?? D8 GASP**_

_**Favrite of Chaos- thanks**_

_**umeko-rin- thanks, I appreciate it X3**_

now then, ONWARDS!!

llllllll

A few days later saw Gai standing outside of his boss's office, eying the name plate nervously. He hadn't been here in two weeks, and it wasn't a surprise that he was nervous about coming back here. In the first five minutes, he saw several people he was friends with, who simply ignored him. He didn't blame them really, he had been boosted to a job that paid more in a week than they all made a month. Natalia had been excited to see him, chattering about how lonely it'd been since he left. It was nice to know SOMEONE still cared, if not a bit annoying to hear it gushed in a minute's time.

The door opened, and Tear stood there, unsmiling. "Mr. Fabre will see you now."

Drawing in a breath, and hoping last nights dinner wouldn't come back up, Gai nodded and entered the room. Inside was his boss, bent over a document with a pen, thinking. From his right, he heard something land heavily, and turned to see Luke had just jumped over next to him, on one foot it seemed. He looked absolutely overjoyed to see him, and how close he was to his face made him take a step back, blinking wide eyes at the teen.

"Gai! You're here!!" he shrieked, making Tear scowl at him. Luke quieted down quickly.

Sweatdropping, he nodded. "Y-Yeah."

"Luke, leave him be, Gai, please take a seat." Mr. Fabre said, voice commanding and loud.

Luke frowned but did as told, taking a few steps back, allowing Gai to walk in and take a seat in the comfier-than-his-bed chair. The blond felt his stomach drop, and he fought to keep himself calm. This man was so intimidating, he thought. Its no wonder no one ever did anything to anger him. The man smiled in what Gai thought might have been a comforting way. "So, how has Luke been Mr. Cecil?"

Smiling weakly in reply, Gai said, "Luke has been good, sir." he's made my living room into his bedroom pretty much, but otherwise he's fine. Gai thought.

"Excellent! I'm glad to hear it. He's not the easiest child to deal with, I'm glad that he hasn't caused you any trouble." Fabre said, as if his son wasn't in the room. Luke didn't appear to pay it much mind, focusing on a plant instead. He looked a bit annoyed, but his eyes appeared darker for some reason.

"Now then, about why I called you here. I have your paycheck." the man said, handing Gai a slip of paper. Gai took it slowly, jaw almost dropping at the amount on the paper. Surely baby sitting a teenager couldn't be that difficult that he'd require so much money. Smiling wider at the shocked look on Gai's face, the redheaded man leaned back in his chair. "I trust that your okay with such a small paycheck?"

Gai looked up quickly, gaping. Small?! "Y-Yeah. Thank you very much sir."

Waving a hand, Fabre checked his watch. "I have work to get back to, so I'm afraid I must say farewell." he said, and Tear opened the office door for the two, Luke darting out quickly. Gai stood up and followed, smiling at Tear who blushed a little as he passed. Outside, Luke was leaning against the wall, watching the workers boredly, wondering how the blond had been able to stand such boring work. When Gai came out of the room, Luke stood up and stretched.

"Where to now?"

"I was planning on home, but if you have any ideas, go right ahead." the blond replied tiredly.

Luke frowned and thought for a long moment. He grinned a little. "Hey, are there any clubs around here?"

Gawking at the redhead, Gai began walking away from his boss's office. "Are you crazy? I cant take you, a minor of all things, to a club!"

Luke shrugged. "It was a thought."

As the two's voice faded away, Mr. Fabre frowned behind his crossed hands. He was afraid of where this might go, but said nothing. Glancing at Tear, he made a move to call her over. The young secretary moved over quickly, serious as always.

"Yes sir?"

"I would like you to keep an eye on them. If you notice anything...odd, tell me right away." he said, eyes not leaving their backs. The man's eyes narrowed as Luke tugged at Gai's sleeve and smiled. He didn't like this at all, he could already feel the deja vu.

Tear nodded. "I will sir." she said, bowing a little.

Mr. Fabre waved a hand, leaning back into his chair. "You may go now Tear. Thank you."

Tear nodded, and without another word or glance, left the office. She'd keep an eye on the two, as ordered.

An hour later found the duo lazing about the apartment, Luke playing video games while Gai attempted to sleep through it. However, his pillow wasn't able to block out Luke's victory shouts, cursing, and the sounds of laser guns blaring. Rolling over in his bed, he tugged the sheets around him, thankful for AC. It was so hot lately, something Gai wasn't a huge fan of. His list of dislikes was quite long, with heat and small children at the top. Not that Luke was all that small, but he acted like he was sometimes.

Groaning, he rolled over and drew the thinnest sheet he had over his eyes. He wanted cold, but he didn't want light...perhaps this was too much to ask, for in return for the lack of sight, a loud voice echoed in the other room.

"GAI!!"

He groaned and tried not to sob. What would it take to sleep? Last night he had been up late, he was too tired for this! The sound of light footsteps echoed down the hall, then from nowhere, a loud creak and the feeling of bouncing. Yanking the bed sheet from his face, Gai looked frantically around, finding Luke spread out on his stomach, having jumped onto the bed. A mix between a growl and a sob worked its way from his lips, and suddenly, a pillow was forced over Luke's head.

The redhead flailed, and Gai took sick pleasure in watching the other slowly suffocate. "Listen you, I'm hung over and I have a headache. What is it you want NOW?"

Luke forced himself up, the pillow being let up a little. Gasping, the redhead glared. "I coulda died just now!!"

"Not from that you wouldn't."

"I just wanted to ask if you wanted to actually do something tonight..."

Raising an eyebrow, the blond let this turn in his head. "And why is that? Aren't you going to go home at 7?"

Luke's face flushed and he looked nervous. Sitting back on his knees, the redhead twiddled his fingers. "W-Well...I sorta...wanna stay here for tonight."

Gai frowned a bit. "May I ask why?"

He got no response, just a sheepish glance. "Does it have anything to do with the last time?"

Luke started, settled, then shook his head. Whatever it was that was bothering Luke, he was very uncomfortable with it, that much Gai could tell. Normally, he'd argue or just demand what he wanted, silence wasn't something the younger male was known for. Sighing, he flopped back, resting an arm over his eyes. "I don't see why you cant sleep over." he conceded.

Luke brightened instantly, and cheered loudly, only to have the pillow thrown at him. Scowling, the teen huffed, and sunk down onto the bed, laying on his side and watching Gai. The blond could feel the steady gaze even without turning to look at him, and it bothered him. "what." he snapped.

"...thanks." the redhead muttered.

The blond blinked. How odd..."Welcome..."

The day passed by slowly, the heat eventually driving the two out of the apartment to go find something to do. They went for ice cream, avoiding the movie theater for the moment. After Luke's scene, Gai wasn't sure that he really wanted to go back there quite yet. Thankfully, Luke also had the same sentiments. They spent an hour eating ice cream and chatting when they weren't eating. By the end of the hour, they were both sufficiently bored, what with the only real entertainment being when Luke got brain freeze.

"So...what now?" Luke mumbled, kicking a stone across the small drive way of the ice cream shop.

Gai shrugged, standing up and humming to himself. "I dunno. Wanna go home or something?"

The redhead shrugged, glancing around. Gai heaved a small sigh, leaning back and waiting for an idea occur somewhere deep in his mind. He had no such idea, and was left to listen to Luke ramble about how the ending of a video game he had beaten had been so cool, tuning him out for the most part. It was around the time when Luke was talking about how the Heartless ship just exploded that a familiar voice rang out, making the redhead pale. Gai, noticing this, glanced over and noticed a small girl running at them, blinking. Luke quickly backed away.

"LUKE, MY DARLING! ITS BEEN SO LONG!!" the girl cried, attaching herself to Luke's arm with a leap and crushing it in a bruising grip.

The redhead twitched, trying to wrench his arm from the girl's grip. She would have none of this, cuddling him and holding on tighter. "How have you been?? I haven't heard from you since that awful catastrophe!" she cried, smiling happily. Luke twitched, and his eyes flashed briefly. "My father grounded me." he said simply, and Gai noted the undertone in his voice.

As if just now noticing Gai's existence, the girl blinked and smiled cheerfully. "Luke, whose this?? Your friend??"

Gai went to open his mouth, but Luke beat him to it. "He's my...boyfriend." he said quickly, not entirely thinking it through.

The girl drew back, shocked. "Boyfriend?? Really??" she asked, astonished.

The redhead nodded. "Yes. Gai, this is Anise." he gestured between them.

Glancing between Luke and Gai, Anise nodded slowly. "Its nice to meet you Gai." she said, a semi forced cheer in her voice.

Holding out a hand, Gai felt the tiniest bit awkward. "Nice to meet you as well."

The hand was taken in a handshake, and a sort of unease went through the two. Anise glanced at Luke seriously. "Your father doesn't know, right?"

Shaking his head, the redhead replied, "No. I'm not dumb enough to say something like that to HIM." he spat, almost hissing 'him'.

The brunette nodded, flicking back her chocolaty hair and smiling softly. "While I never took you for a gay, You picked a decent guy. I might just have to steal him from ya Luke"

Luke felt his eye twitch, and forced a smile. "T-Thanks."

Anise went to speak, but was cut off by a beeping sound, to which she gasped. It just reoccurred to her she was due for the ball. Checking her watch, she tugged at her pigtails in anxiety, groaning. "God, I'm late...mom will kill me...sorry, I hafta go now, have fun!" Anise said, hurrying off and waving back at them.

Luke watched her go, face black and eyes flickering with several emotions, all negative. Gai found he didn't quite like this side of Luke. And he had already seen it a few times. Snapping from his mini trance, the redhead glanced at Gai and smiled in apology.

"Sorry bout that...I didn't want to listen to her spout her love for me again..." he said, scratching at the back of his head.

Gai nodded slowly, and the redhead grinned. "Sweet. Now then, lets find something else to do!"

He dashed off, and Gai followed after him quickly, wishing he could ask what Anise was talking about before. Somewhere along the line, he had gotten lost, and wasn't sure if Luke was really who he seemed to be. The thoughts plagued him, and even though he knew it wasn't his business, he couldn't push the idea from his mind that everyone knew something he didn't.

The room was grand, long French windows lining the walls tastefully and billowing red curtains tied back to them. The floor was a lovely obsidian black, speckles of white here and there in the polished floor. A buffet table was set up, a cluster of tables set up where they would not get in the way, white clothes covering them. The walls were a creamy amberish color, and a double stair case sat in the front, a grand oak doorway leading into the ball room. Guests mingled about the ball room, all in fancy gowns and tuxedos, all from rich families.

Chatter filled the air in a dull drone, and Anise made her way through the crowds, looking for someone and trying not to step on her pink gown. When she did finally find who she was looking for, Natalia was on the other side of the room, listening to other girls chatter. The girl's hair was pushed back with a glittering jeweled hand hand, lips painted a coral pink and was garbed in a soft blue gown, a white shawl thrown across her shoulders.

Upon noticing Anise, she ceased her chatter and smiled pleasantly. "Oh, you're here! I was worried you'd never come." she teased.

Anise rolled her eyes, "Yeah yeah. I just got a bit sidetracked is all. So, wheres Asch??" she asked, peaking about for the familiar redhead.

Natalia shrugged. "He's with his father. He should be back soon."

The brunette nodded, crossing her arms and pouting. "I wish Luke would have come...I was so looking forward to seeing him again. But nooo, he was busy with his friend."

The blond blinked. "Luke has friends?"

The girl shrugged, leaning on one hip. "Yeah, a man named Gai."

A smile crawled across Natalia's face. "Gai?? Really?" she couldn't fight off a giggle.

"What?" Anise asked, annoyed with the soft chuckles. "You know him?"

"Sort of." she answered, blinking when she caught sight of a glimpse of crimson hair. She turned quickly and smiled warmly, seeing her fiancée at the top of the stair case along with his father, looking amazing in his tux.

The man cleared his throat loudly, and instantly the room was silent. With that, the man smiled and began speaking. "My friends! Thank you for coming to celebrate my eldest son's engagement and his return from studying abroad. Its been a long time since he's been home. I would also like to announce that I will be passing on my company to my dear son." he clapped a hand over the redhead's back, who twitched but fought the urge to glare at the man. A round of applause echoed down below the two, making Asch wince vaguely. His father simply smiled wider, pleased with the reaction.

Down below, Natalia and Anise smiled softly, each deep in their own thoughts. Just a few months ago, Asch had been in another country, refusing to come home. Ever since the incident with Van and Luke, everything had been tense about the Fabre family, and they were happy that Asch had finally returned. Neither Natalia or Anise could fathom why the oldest son had returned, but they couldn't be happier.

When the speech was over, Asch left his father's side, walking down the stair case and made his way through the crowds he was so used to. They greeted him, though he said nothing in reply, simply inclining his head to show he heard them. When finally he reached the two girls, he wasn't all the surprised to have Natalia throw herself at him, embracing him tightly. He blinked, hugging back.

"You're finally back! I missed you so much!" the girl cried, beaming at her fiancée.

The redhead nodded, smiling a little back. "Its been a while." he replied, glancing around.

"Luke's not here." Anise said, knowing who he was looking for.

The man's face was calm, but a sad glimmer was in his eyes. "I figured as much." he replied quietly.

Noting Asch's melancholy mood, Natalia quickly attempted to cheer him up. "How was your trip??" she asked with interest that wasn't entirely fake.

Asch snapped back to the present and shrugged, making a face. "Way to tiring...the other side of the world really is way different."

"Tell us about it?" Anise ventured, beaming up at the redhead, who sighed. "Fine fine." he caved.

lllll

ZOMG the plot is slowly arriving. wait for iiiiiit, it'll be there soon i promise. might also get a bit more moraly urking (thumbsup) cause i just adore writing such things.


	7. Chapter 7

AT LAST, it updates. gasping golliwags, i know.

_**Mew's Silver Heartlock- **_i know whacha mean about the alerts, its so annoying (weepweep) thank you very much for the review, made me grin that you could semi-guess what was going on in my head. indeed, angst shall come about soon.

_**Ilyric- **_sweetness, mglad you liked this so far!

_**calmxebeforexthexstorm- **_thank you for the review, i'm glad you enjoyed it so far (smile smile) i appreciate it.

ONWARD 8D

ololololol

Luke pushed the large double doors open tiredly, entering the mansion that he called home. The walls were a creamy white, tall and covered in pictures and family heirlooms from the beginning of their family tree. A long red carpet ran from the door to a large polished staircase, keeping the polished black and white speckled floor clean. Luke glanced around the room and sighed. Home...

"Welcome home master Luke." a maid said, who had been standing at the door.

The redhead glanced at her, but said nothing in return, simply walked forward. He just wanted to sleep right now. However, the maid's voice caught him, light and nervous. She must be new here, Luke thought boredly. Turning he looked at her expectantly.

"U-Um...your father is waiting to see you i-in his office." she said nervously.

Luke's eyes narrowed, and he nodded. "Thanks" he said, turning and leaving the woman to her own devices.

Ascending the great stair case, Luke bit at his lip. Something told him this wouldn't end well. Memories of visiting his father's office had rarely ended in his favor, and it was a miracle he was still even allowed home. The memory of the last visit here made him cringe, and he almost backed down. His brother had come home last night, he knew that. There had also been a ball of some sort that he had refused to go to, he remembered that as well. It had been pure luck that he hadn't had to run away to avoid said occasion.

From the stair case was a long hall, the private rooms for the most part. From every wall hung a portrait of people from long ago, long titles for all. As a child, Luke used to enjoy being told the tales behind these people, but now they simply mocked him. He made his way slowly down the hall, taking his time to admire every last speck of his home. Mostly, he was avoiding his father. Nothing abnormal.

At last he reached the dark brown door that marked his father's office, the heavy door being the nightmare and butt of many a game and joke when he was younger. He stopped in front of the heavy door, gulping. He didn't want to go in there...after a moment of despairing glances at the exits, Luke finally caved in any pushed open the door. Inside was a desk, an enormous window that stretched from floor to ceiling framing it from behind, two pale white curtains tied back to allow sunlight to flow through the emerald glass. Book cases lined the walls where desks and computers did not, and if he didn't know any better, he'd say it was a library.

Behind the desk sat his father, imposing as ever, bent over a document and busily writing away with a pen. Luke entered, and waited for the man to notice him. The moment the pen left the papers, the man looked up, serious as always. He gestured to a chair that sat before the desk. The redhead walked to the chair, taking a seat and waiting for his father to speak. He didn't wait long.

"Luke, last night your brother returned from over seas." he began, leaning back and looking his son in the eye. "After months, he has returned. Do you know what this means?"

Luke stayed quiet, his head bowed. "It means that he has forgiven the stain you left on our family's name. He has come back, and I think its high time we had a talk about what we expect from you." he plowed on, eyes narrowed.

To this, Luke looked up and glared. "Basically, you're telling me what to do if I don't want to be disowned. We had this talk, didn't we?" he snapped.

He was surprised he wasn't slapped for mouthing off, but what came from Fabre's mouth next made Luke feel like he had been kicked in the gut. "You're correct. Theres only so much I will allow you to do that will shame our family any longer. Your last stunt almost cost us big. If it wasn't for your brother, you'd be out on the streets and we'd probably be broke." the man said, voice cold enough to freeze coffee.

Luke bit his lip, paling. He knew it was true. His father shuffled some papers. "Lets get started then." he said.

"So, any souvenirs from America?"

Asch stopped, turning and blinking before letting his face melt into a scowl. "So you decided to actually show up today. I half feared you'd be at your precious baby sitters'."

Luke winced, pushing off from the wall before looking away in a small act of shame. He crossed his arms. "How was your trip?"

Humoring the other redhead for a moment, Asch sighed heavily. "What do you even care?"

"I don't." Luke conceded, shrugging absently.

Narrowing his eyes, the older sibling glanced Luke over. Something wasn't quite right about his obnoxious little brother. He seemed...different. Naturally, being away for months at a time, it was normal for a person to change after such a dramatic event, but something really was off. He wasn't sure how he knew it, but his intuition was rarely wrong. Luke shifted under to intense and knowing gaze, not meeting Asch's eyes.

"What?" he muttered, annoyed tone hiding the nervousness that was under his skin.

Asch shook his head slowly. "Nothing." he said.

The younger redhead's eyes darkened, and he frowned. This was not lost on Asch, who simply turned away and began to walk off. A hand reached out to catch his own, and it was quickly slapped away, leaving it to hang in the air, stunned as Asch walked away at a steady pace.

The cubicals never looked so comfortable before now to Gai. he looked at his untouched space in the office, feeling cool in the normally stuffy work place. He eyed it, happy to be back, if only for a day. He was called in, and he couldn't have been happier. Sinking into the not-stuffed-enough chair, he heaved a sigh, shifting about before reaching down to turn on the computer. It started with a sharp hum, that was lost amongst the other humming computers.

In the background, the sound of a chair squeaking caught Gai's attention, and he blinked, turning to see a pair of bright green eyes watching him, a head peeking over the cubical behind him. When he turned to see this, Gai almost fell out of his chair, suppressing a shriek. Blinking quickly, he exhaled, smiling weakly.

"H-Hey there Luke. You scared me..." he mumbled.

The redhead waved a hand, smiling a little. "Sorry. I didn't mean for you to hear me."

Somehow that only made a chill go through Gai's body. Laughing a little, if only to attempt to fight off the awkwardness, he turned a bit more. "Like a ninja, huh?"

"Yup."

The looked at each other, and for a long slow moment, time had the speed of cold syrup, awkwardness covering them as they looked at each other, unable to look away. When finally time did return to normal speed, they felt almost as dazed as they had last night. Gai was the first to look away, clearing his throat. A fleeting look of sadness covered Luke's face, but it was gone before Gai could do a double take. Never the less, it had been there, and he had seen it.

"S-So, why did you come here?" the blond asked turning back to his computer and trying to focus on the program he was supposed to make.

The redhead shrugged, watching his babysitter with an unwavering look that Gai could feel. "I wanted to talk to you. Cuz, if I don't, I might not get to again."

Pausing, Gai turned around, frowning a little at the quiet way Luke had spoken in. "What makes you think that?"

"From past experience, you could say." Luke replied, not meeting the other's gaze. Gai nodded slowly, and Luke took it as a green light to talk. Sucking in a deep breath, he closed his eyes for a moment before looking the blond in the eye, serious, which was shocking to him.

"Listen, about last night...I...didn't exactly mean to do that." he mumbled, rubbing the back of his head nervously.

Gai nodded slowly. "Its...okay. No harm done."

Luke glanced away, before smiling weakly, "Heheh...thats good."

Things slowed again, before the sound of tapping footsteps echoed, and Luke's face twisted in horror, as if he were a deer just noticing the car. Without even a good bye, he darted off, Gai staring at where the red blur had once been, only just then hearing a familiar voice.

"Luke, get back here right now!!"

Tear zipped past Gai, and for the second time that morning, the blond found himself staring in confusion after someone, before shaking his head and turning around. What a weird day.

Tear rounded the corner, skidding a little on the polished tiles in her heels before freezing at the sight of Luke simply leaning against a wall. He looked far less fearful than needed be, and it urked her. The redhead turned and looked at her, raising an eyebrow.

"You're no good at tag." he mumbled.

Flustered, the brunette heaved a sigh, rubbing her forehead. "One, I'm not paid to play tag. Two, you shouldn't be running off without permission. You could have ASKED to go visit Gai."

The redhead rolled his eyes. "And have you tagging along? No way."

"Why not? Its not like you have some dark secret to protect."

She was met with silence, and frowned a little. somehow, this felt like something to take note of. This was definitely weird. Suddenly, the redhead was missing from the spot he was just in, leaving Tear to blink and look around, panicking. Oh what a day indeed.

Around another corner, leaning heavily against a wall, Luke stood there, eyes shadowed by long bangs. He could hear Tear panicking, but paid her no mind, deciding to let himself have a miniature breakdown for a moment. He figured he at least deserved that privileged still.

ooooooo

GASP, crappy chapter wut D8 but oh well. hope its not to awful...had a block for so long, i wasnt sure how to do this chapter at all.


	8. Chapter 8

w00t! back...! after what, forever??? anywho....

warning: OOC, angstish? slight spoilers for later in the story, hinted shounen ai! ahaha...

_**Illyric- **_thank you for the nice review 8D i've been using your advice, thank you!

_**Mew's Silver Heartlock- **_i love it when people notice stuff i try to be slightly obvious about X3 why yes! foreshadowing d00m is coming up! i'm glad i kept asch in character XDD i hope i can keep him that way. thank you for reviewing!!

_**SilverMoon888- **_XDDD i get that way alot online. "maaaaaybe i can just review or comment laaaaater." thanks for the review, i appreciate it!

_**calmxbeforexthexstorm- **_i'm glad! (happyy)

_**random-shit- **_YAY thats good! hope you enjoy the new chapter!

thank you all for your lovely reviews, i appreciate them all! i'm sorry i dont update quickly, but thank you for being so patient ne.

onwaaaaard!! (battle cry, runs into a wall) OW DX x.x (ded nao)

_____________________

Clear sky, bright sunlight, what more could he ask for? Gai thought as he walked slowly towards a tall gray building, humming softly. The sky was clear, no chalky clouds could be seen in the soft blue that the tall and imposing buildings didn't hide. People walked by, chatting or silent, but crowding the streets more or less. Combined with the cars that were honking just to his right, it was quite loud. The blond sighed. City life could be difficult, but he took some pleasure from the sounds, even the scents. They provided a small comfort.

Looming ahead of him was a tall gray building, a marble fence of sorts lining it with a few flower bushes pushed against the wall. The heavy glass doors were unopened, almost locked in place. Shivering, Gai remembered this building from all the years he had worked here. This building was now a drop off point, where he met up with Luke every morning, when he didn't miraculously show up at his door in pj's. Gai still wasn't sure why Luke had dropped by like that so many times in the last week, but he chose not to ask.

There, standing in front of the glass doors was a familiar redhead, standing casually and boredly. Heart pounding, Gai hurried his pace. It had been a while since he'd seen Luke, as the redhead seemed to have been home sick, though he still seemed to just appear at his door at night. If he didn't know any better, Gai would assume Luke wasn't sick at all, and it was a lie. Either way, he wanted see the redhead.

When he got closer, however, he froze. This wasn't Luke, he thought. There stood a redhead who looked almost the same as Luke, the only real difference being the shade of red in his hair and the gelled back bangs. As if sensing the blond, the mysterious redhead turned and raised an eyebrow. Only then did Gai realize he was staring.

Coughing lightly, he looked away. The male didn't seem to be concerned though. "So you're the one he keeps yacking about..." he muttered, eyes narrowing.

Gai frowned. "Eh? Who are you?"

"I'm The reject's elder brother." he spat. "You're Gai then, I assume?"

"Yeah...how did-?"

"He's always talking about you. How could I NOT know you." the redhead replied in annoyance. If Gai didn't know any better, he'd say this sibling of Luke's was jealous.

A slight blush rolled over the blond's face at the statement. Luke talked about him a lot? Why did that make his stomach flip...he forced back that particular train of thought. Not right now, he told himself. "Oh...Uh...where IS Luke?" he asked, getting to the point. He didn't like this man, least of all did he feel comfortable with him.

Not seeming too bothered at being brushed aside, the redhead replied, "Dreck...? He's insi-"

"OH THANK GAWD YOU'RE HERE!"

The front doors flew open and Luke dashed out of them, looking so happy to see the blond. "Asch was so boring, and Tear was trying to braid my hair!" he cried, ignoring his brother's furious look. He didn't like being interrupted. Or insulted. Gai found the way Asch glowered at Luke, the way his emerald eyes narrowed and darkened with promises of painful injuries, to be the most frightening thing he'd ever seen. Besides when his teacher had brought a snake in for class. Shuddering, he pushed that memory back. He hated snakes...

"S-So, ready to go?" he asked, not wanting to stay anywheres near Asch after that look.

Blinking, Luke grinned and nodded. Anything to get away from this place. "Sure!"

Hurrying down the stairs, Luke glanced at his brother and waved, the other ignoring him and tch'ing. Frowning slightly, the younger redhead made his way to Gai. He wouldn't let Asch's mood get him down. They hurried away, both eager to be away from Asch and the shadow of the building. He wasn't sure why, but Gai felt a weight lift from his shoulders once they were away and back at his apartment.

Luke slumped on the couch and sighed heavily. "Its been way too long since I last saw you!"

The blond man WOULD have pointed out that Luke was here almost every night it seemed, but stopped when he saw the strained smile on Luke's face. Something told him it wasn't something he wanted to bring up right now. So he didn't. Shrugging, Gai smiled. "It has been. So, whacha wanna do?"

A strange dull look flashed through the redhead's eyes, but it was gone in seconds. "I don't know."

The day progressed normally, and although Luke acted odd just then, the behavior hadn't repeated again. They laughed, played games, and chatted as if nothing had been off at all. It seemed, to Gai, that ever since that night when Luke first started sleeping over, that something had changed, and he wasn't sure if it was a good thing. But at least, Luke was okay. The whiny redhead wouldn't hesitate to mention if something was wrong after all. He was always more than willing to voice a complaint. It was probably nothing. Right?

The sound of a glass shattering on the kitchen floor shot through the small apartment, making Gai freeze in place. Turning quickly, the blond gaped at Luke, who was staring at his hand. Shaking, the redhead clenched his teethe and slowly let his head drop.

"I-I'm sorry. I wasn't...paying attention, and..." he forced out, voice quivering. The forced humor in his voice was turned null and void by the tremors that shot through him.

Eyebrows knitting together, Gai watched as Luke quickly dropped to his knees and began to collect the shards. "Luke...?" he called, kneeling down and reaching for the shards of glass as well. The redhead jerked a little, and his shoulders began to quiver momentarily. Gai was beginning to think that something was seriously wrong, that he had been wrong about Luke, when the teen suddenly looked up, seemingly fine with a smile.

"I'm pretty klutzy today. Didn't sleep much last night." he explained, humming as his hands steadied and gripped the glass with more care.

Finger trailing over a shard, the dots of crimson suddenly caught the blond's attention. Eyes wide, Gai looked from the hand to the uncaring Luke in shock. He wasn't even complaining that he was hurt. Something wasn't right. "Luke, your finger...!"

Blinking, Luke's eyes flickered before he pouted in annoyance. "God. That figures. Gaaaiii, go get me a band aid, I haaaate blood!" he whined, holding his finger away like it was diseased. The sudden switch in moods and personalities dumbfounded the blond, and he figured it couldn't just be his hair color or lack of sleep that was making him so confused.

"Luke, whats up you? You seem....off." Gai said, frowning.

Eyes flickering slightly, the redhead narrowed them and shook his finger at Gai. "The only thing wrong with me is my gushing wound, which my dear babysitter isnt fixing!" he snapped.

Twitching at the bane of his existence, (he wasn't sure if it were Luke or the title) Gai muttered and stood up to go fetch the band aids. It seemed that after that, Luke was painfully on guard, snapping at the blond if he dared to question his previous behavior. So after a while, Gai gave up worrying. As it figured, Luke pretended nothing even happened, and whatever HAD been wrong, obviously wasnt wrong anymore. Or if it were, then Luke obviously didn't want to bring it up. It was probably best not to question the redhead anymore than necessary.

ooooooooooooooooooo

Back to the beginning. All the hard work, the attention, and the gains, just VANISHED. Luke wasn't sure if it was karma or not, but he did know that he didn't like this. It had been a week or two since Asch had returned, and it had been hell. His father and mother all but dumped him, and decided that Luke no longer needed a babysitter. It had been Asch's suggestion, that Luke was getting a bit too close to his temporary guardian. He must have found out from Tear, who had monitored the youngest redhead's relationship with Gai closely. The decision was unanimous. Gai would no longer babysit Luke.

The decision wasn't relayed to Gai, so he was simply told Luke had a cold. Meanwhile, Luke had been going crazy, friendless in his stifling and lonely life. He couldn't TAKE this! It wasn't fair! Asch, he ALWAYS got the first say! And if Luke didn't know any better, he'd say his brother hated him. He wasn't so sure he DIDNT.

Walking towards their once shared room, Luke felt strangely confident a feeling he didn't often get when his brother was concerned. Maybe it was because he KNEW he'd win this battle. The door was ajar, letting a rectangle of light filter into the normally dark hallway. As expected of the future CEO, Asch was awake, studying or working, Luke didn't know or care. He didn't bother knocking, making his way silently through the large room.

Not looking away from his papers, the older redhead spoke up when Luke was only a few feet away. "What're you doing?"

Pausing, the younger sibling narrowed his eyes. He hadn't ever been able to sneak up on Asch. "How'd you-?"

"You aren't as silent as you think you are." the other interrupted, not unkindly, but not in a friendly tone. He added, "What do you want? I'm busy."

Luke decided that Stepping any closer could be fatal and stayed put. In the most assertive tone he could use, Luke said, "Tell mom and dad to make Gai my babysitter again."

A snort, and the way the pen stopped told Luke that Asch didn't find him funny, nor scary. "Why should I? You miss your friend?"

"I do. And you shouldn't be mean." Luke snapped back, but calmed down and fought back the feeling of disgust his next line would bring up. Idly, he lifted a hand up to his face and inspected his nails, shifting his weight onto his right leg. "Or, you know, I could seriously sink you. Wouldn't want daddy dearest and your DEAR Natalia to find out about THAT, would you?"

The pen dropped and Asch went rigid. Turning to gape at his brother, the elder redhead simply watched him for a moment. "You wouldn't..."

Luke flashed Asch a smile. "Yes I would. You ruined my life after all, and now you're just getting in the way. Why wouldn't I fuck you over?" he said, shrugging as if this really didn't bother him. It did. If he didnt know he'd win with this threat, Luke never would have brought this up.

Asch just stared before his face scrunched into a disgusted and angry expression. "You have some nerve dreck. Bringing up THAT, just to get your way, you-"

"YOU brought it on yourself." Luke snapped, eyes darkening. "Whats your answer?"

Narrowing his eyes, Asch turned away, unable to look at his brother anymore. "You're sick."

A pang of hurt struck Luke, but he was far too used to the feeling and the words to be upset by them. He lifted his nose up a little. "Oh? If you feel that way...then maybe...I WILL tell mom and dad. The expression on their faces, when they find out what YOU did, would be well worth it. They all but worship you, I wouldn't mind seeing you sink down a few notches."

"SHUT IT. I'll tell them tomorrow then, okay?!" Asch snapped, twisting around to scowl darkly at the other.

Their eyes met, and Luke almost flinched back. His brother had always been intimidating, and now he was livid. It wasn't something Luke found very comforting, and he knew that Asch would repay him fully, the next time he found an opportunity to spite the younger Fabre. Nodding, Luke turned and left, ashamed of himself, but satisfied. It took care of a problem, and while it was a dirty trick, it was worth it.

oooooooooooo

Needless to say, "tomorrow" meant a week later, and Luke spent most nights sneaking off to Gai's. The blond always let him in, offered anything he could for Luke, and he was grateful to find support SOMEWHERE. Talking and hanging out with the blond reminded Luke that really, it WAS worth blackmailing someone who was once close to him. It just blew to some extent, that he couldn't tell Gai what was REALLY wrong. He knew he was acting weird, that it was obvious all was not well with him, but Gai didn't need to know. The less he knew, the better.

If Gai ever did find out, he'd hate Luke, or at least be disgusted. And really, Luke hated himself for it as it were. He couldn't bear it if the person he was crushing on hated him. It just wasn't something he wanted. The mere thought of the repercussions of confessing his problems had made the redhead drop and break a glass, it was that bad. The press, the friends he had lost, the person he had lost, the looks he got...the way his family looked at him, Asch leaving, all because of one thing, and Luke wasn't sure he could take that again.

____________

DONE at last. yeeess, we're getting to the PLOT. scary aint it? you can prolly guess whats gonna happen, or what DID happen...i'm not being very mysterious am i? XD poor asch in this chapter though...


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